Jesus tells us in the Gospel today that His followers will suffer and be persecuted on account of His name. Why would people follow Jesus knowing that they might experience persecution, betrayal and even death? “By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”

In other words, Jesus tells us that life is going to be hard if you follow Him, but do not be afraid. He promised to be with us and help us carry our crosses. People need to hear this message that life is hard, but all things are possible with God.

At our seminarian retreat this fall, Fr. Carola told our seminarians that life is hard. He told them to prepare for a crisis in the first five years of priesthood. He also tells newlyweds to expect a crisis in the first five years of marriage. This does not mean that we have discerned incorrectly. It just means that life is not easy. And we learn some of life’s greatest lessons through the suffering that we endure with the Lord.

Parents, please do not give your children everything they want. And please do not try to be your children’s friends while they are growing up. They need parents, not friends. Why do we want to be their friends? I believe it is because we are not grounded in our identity as beloved sons and daughters of God. If I am not grounded in God’s love, I look for love in other places – from my children, my work, other people, etc.

And if our children grow up getting everything they ever wanted, they panic when they face life’s real challenges as Jesus mentions in today’s Gospel. If they have never experienced hardship, they do not know what to do when they are faced with suffering and trials. We do our children no favors by protecting and shielding them from all suffering. We should give them a safe place to go when they suffer, but suffering is always going to be a part of our human existence.

We often turn our backs on God because we wonder, “How can an all-loving God allow this to happen?” And yet, if we are grounded in the Scriptures, we know that life will have challenges. We know that suffering is a part of being human. Jesus promised us that it would be difficult. But we are not alone. “By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”

It is actually during our toughest trials that we often turn our backs on God. Ironically, God is the one that we need the most during these difficult times. The devil does whatever he can to separate us from God. Know that life is hard and that God will never abandon us. He will walk this journey with us and help us carry the cross. “By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”